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A day in the life of online school for Willa, Jaala, Tre, and Jordin with Donesha (mom and Learning Coach).

Favorite Subject(s): Art
Hobbies: Animal Facts

Favorite Subject(s): Art
HOBBIES: Drawing

Favorite Subject(s): Music Appreciation
Hobbies: Automotive

Favorite Subject(s): Social Sciences
HOBBIES: Writing, Fashion

Why K12?

Donesha wanted a school option where her four children would face less bullying and instructional issues, while maintaining more educational consistency for their military family. One of the younger kids also has severe allergies so safety was a concern. K12-powered online school also offers college and career prep for her two teenagers so they can prepare for the future, now.

Live Classes and
Assignments

Schoolwork for Willa, Jaala, Tre, and Jordin is a mix of scheduled, live classes called Class Connect sessions, self-guided offline assignments, and college and career prep activities like internships and college counselor meetings.

For example, a typical day may have Willa and Jaala starting with a math lesson on their own and then a live reading class later in the day led by their state-certified teacher. If they get stuck, their mom and Learning Coach Donesha is there to help.

A typical day for Tre may start with offline practice for music appreciation class and then a live literature class after lunch. Jordin may have a live AP® English class early in the morning and then spend the rest of her day at her dental internship. As questions come up, Tre and Jordin can reach out to their teachers in the live classes, via email, or during weekly office hours.
A benefit of schools powered by K12 is that the educational materials—a computer, textbooks, supplies for offline activities, and more—are provided.

Family Schedule

Learning Coaches typically spend between 4 to 6 hours each day with elementary school students like Willa and Jaala providing oversight. High schoolers like Tre and Jordin are more independent, so the time expectation changes to 1 to 3 hours per day and is more providing encouragement.
Donesha set up her work from home office in the same room as her youngest children, Willa and Jaala. That way, she is nearby if they need assistance and can help keep them on track. Her two teenagers, Tre and Jordin, have a separate learning workspace set up where they work independently. If they have questions, they know where to find her.

Student Schedule

Family

Willa and Jaala

Jordin

Tre

Q & A with the Family

Why do you like online school?

Donesha: We were having issues with our children being bullied, they didn’t feel safe in the school they were in. They were upset, stressed, and we wanted better for them.

Our family also deals with severe allergies, so that was part of looking for an alternative that could meet those needs better. When we were stationed in Japan, they couldn’t meet Jaala’s medical needs, so we had to move back to the states, to California first, then Virginia. Plus, as a military family, we thought something with more consistency would be nice.

Willie: Online school powered by K12 allows for less stress and interruptions for the children when we have to make a move with me being in the U.S. Navy, and we have more flexibility in where we choose to live.

We move a lot and that can be tough—finding a place to live with good schools which can be more expensive, new schools and teachers for the kids, meeting new friends.

Curriculum

The number of classes students take varies per grade level and individual. For example, students in 3rd grade like Willa and Tre typically take between 4–6 subjects each semester, with maybe 2–4 of those requiring scheduled, live classes. For high school students like Tre and Jordin, it may be between 3–6 subjects, with 2–3 of those requiring live classes.

All four of Donesha’s children have tested out of some classes, so they often have fewer mandatory live classes than usual. Many of their subjects are completed via self-guided assignments and skills labs in the K12 interactive online learning system.

In addition to core academic subjects like English, math, science, and social studies, K12-powered schools have a great selection of electives, including advanced courses like the Advanced Placement® and honors options Tre and Jordin take in high school.

Classes schedules may vary considerably based on the individual student and their needs, their state, and any special programs.

SEE HOW OUR CURRICULUM IS DEVELOPED

Q & A with the Family

Why do you like online school?

Donesha: Online school gave us our power back, power over our time and our schedules. The ability to take the computers with us is great. If we have appointments, we can take school with us.

And since classes are recorded, we can talk to the teachers and catch up later in the day if we need to take care of things like medical appointments. Online school has been great for our teens because they can really dive into their interests with the time they’ve gotten back, they’re preparing for their futures.

Willie: I like how we’re able to work in our culture and our faith, that is very important to us.

Overall, the kids seem more relaxed too. They each have their own personalities and they get to explore and express those with online school. They get to really be themselves.

Tre: I feel very comfortable in online school. I like that I can work more at my own pace.

If I’m having a hard time with something, I can calm down and take my time because I don’t have to stop when a bell rings.

Willa, Jaala, Tre, and Jordin’s time away from the computer looks like …

Sharing odd animal facts, driving breaks to get snacks, and a house full of instruments, music, and dance.

Family Time

Online school gives Donesha and Willie more control over their children’s education and their schedules, allowing for much more family time.

Willie gets to help out with hands-on lessons when he’s home, like using his U.S. Navy experience to show how air pressure works with kitchen demos for a science lesson. One of the family’s favorite activities is playing chess on their giant chess set! The younger children specifically are super competitive and sometimes require a parent referee to step in.

Q & A with the Family

What is it like doing school at home with your whole family, how do you navigate all that as the Learning Coach for four students?

Donesha: I enjoy having my kids home and being able to be more involved with their education. It’s fun for me to be able to provide supplemental information and extra real-world examples for their learning.

One example of that is when we make allergen-free granola for the younger kids. Willa and Jaala do the measuring and practice the math skills they’re learning in class. For the older kids, I remember talking through how credit cards work when they had an economics lesson. It’s pretty smooth for me too, because I work several part time jobs from home so I can be flexible when the kids have questions or need my help.

Jordin: As my Learning Coach, mom makes sure I’m on task and organized, you know, planning my day efficiently. Online school is also nice because I get to spend more time with Tre.

We’re pretty good friends. We have some of the same classes so we can talk about schoolwork together, or just hang out, go for a ride, listen to music, watch a movie.

Willie: My wife does a great job as the Learning Coach

I’m glad I can be there to help with more examples and that sort of thing, but she definitely does the heavy lifting.

Preparing for the Future

K12-powered online school is preparing Tre and Jordin for their futures. Tre is into automotive and wants to be a pilot, while Jordin has her sights set on being an orthodontist and is already participating in a dentistry internship.

The teens are really embracing their goals and online school is helping them do that. For example, the built-in flexibility of online school allows for Jordin to do her internship hours at more prime times during the day and that lets her experience even more of what goes on at a dentist office. She and her brother are also both taking summer courses at the local community college to get ahead.

Q & A with the Family

How was your family’s transition to online school?

Donesha: Transitioning between K12-powered schools in different states has been seamless, it felt like we were in the same school. It also helps that the schools are familiar with the military family experience.

The principals and teachers have made us feel welcome and we’ve been able to connect with other military families. The kids were already familiar with the online learning system, we knew who to contact if we were having any trouble, and everything was integrated.

Jordin: When we moved to California from Japan, we had to get used to the online learning system, but it was pretty smooth. Then moving to Virginia from there, the transition was easy.

The K12-powered schools have been very welcoming.

Tre: It was nice coming to a school that had other military families, so they knew what all the moving around was like and understood what we were going through.

The transition from Japan to California was a lot to adjust to, but more so the cultural part of that not the school part as much. I really loved exploring Japan, the food, the traditions.

Teacher Support and Communication

Donesha enjoys the relationships she and her children are building with the teachers at their K12-powered school. They teachers want them all to success, each of the children as individuals and also them as a family.

The teachers are understanding, patient, and supportive, for the children and for her as their Learning Coach too. Jaala really connected with one of her teachers over their shared allergy issues, and you can tell Tre and Jordin’s teachers really listen and encourage them. It makes them want to participate more and you can tell they’re simply enjoying learning. The high schoolers also have counselors that are helping them prepare for the future and map the paths for them each to reach their goals.

Q & A with the Family

What do your breaks look like during the day?

Donesha: All the kids are artistic so sometimes they’ll be doing their own craft projects or drawing. Tre is an amazing musician, so you’ll also find him playing and the rest of us listening. We all love listening to him play music.

The younger girls like to take dance breaks or go outside for a bike ride. The older kids like to read or go out for a drive together. And of course, there’s giant chess.

Tre: Now with online school, I can play music in the middle of the day.

My main instruments are piano, trumpet, ukulele, and bass guitar. I can play by myself on breaks between classes or play with dad when he’s around. My grandfather was the real musician, we keep a picture of him on the piano.

Willie: My wife does a great job as the Learning Coach

I’m glad I can be there to help with more examples and that sort of thing, but she definitely does the heavy lifting.

More Q & A with the Family

How does your family stay social doing online school?

Donesha: We’ve met lots of new people at school-hosted outings at local museums or the zoo. K12-powered schools offer a range of events and activities for students and families. Plus, schools offer clubs for students to meet others with similar interests. Jordin is in math club, and Tre is in chess club, which is part of e-sports.

Was there anything that surprised you about online school?

Donesha: The biggest surprise has been how focused my kids are in online school. Jordin is in National Honor Society and she’s pursuing her dentistry dreams with her internship. Tre is being intentional with his schoolwork and participating more.

What was it specifically about K12-powered schools that made you choose that as the online learning option for your family?

Donesha: With K12-powered schools, I didn’t have to worry about piecing together a curriculum myself, they provided that for us with personalized options. That made me much more comfortable. They also provided all the materials, even the computers.